Snape's Attitude towards the Students

[huntergreen_3]

No: HPFGUIDX 108367

Dzeytoun wrote:
>> As I have said before, the biggest problem with Severus is that he 
is the ONLY option, and the best way to deal with him would be to hire
another potion teacher, or two. <<

HunterGreen:
Maybe there aren't any other potions teachers out there. I can't 
imagine there are a lot of people studying/training or planning for a 
teaching profession at all, since there are perhaps 12 positions at 
Hogwarts (just a guess, I haven't stopped to count them...I think its 
a little high). DADA may be easier to find since its a more high 
profile sort of job, knowing a lot of hexes and counter curses and 
dark creatures may be an easier thing to be an expert on than 
potions. (and remember, Snape is *really* an expert, he can tell 
what's missing from a potion based on its color). Snape doesn't seem 
to be in love with teaching, he may have started because Dumbledore 
asked him to, not because he *wanted* to.

>> However, the REAL problem it brings up is yet another slip of the 
numbers. Unless Severus is using a Time Turner, there is simply NO 
WAY for him to teach every potions section at Hogwarts.<<

I'm not so sure about that. There could only be two newt level 
potions classes (one for 6th year and one for 7th), which would mean 
he teaches a total of 12 classes. If he teaches the Newt classes once 
a week and the others twice a week, that's 22 periods a week. I can't 
remember how many periods a day Hogwarts has a day. If they have 4, 
you're correct, that doesn't work (unless the newt classes are taught 
in the evening or on Saturdays), but if they have five or six that's 
a possible 25 or 30 class periods a week. 25 would work, because that 
would mean either the Newt classes are taught twice a week (or he 
teaches two per year), and he wold have either one or three free 
periods a week (less than normal teachers, who I believe have one 
free period a day). 

HunterGreen previously:
>>I just don't think he's done anything that violates the rules of 
his society<<

Dzeytoun
>> Yes, but he HAS done lots of things that violate the values
Dumbledore professes, which makes his tolerance of Snape puzzling at
best and reprehensible at worst. And I don't buy the whole
Dumbledore bound by the rules of his society explanation. <<

HunterGreen:
Dumbledore is not the type to impose his will on other people. Snape 
is sctrict, yes, but (as its usually brought up on Snape threads) 
potions is a severe discipline. If Dumbledore were to tell Snape to 
teach a certain way, that might undermine his confidence. Snape 
doesn't know how to be cuddly and sweet and non-"abusive", if he 
tried he would fail. I think Dumbledore understands that and monitors 
the situation to make sure Snape doesn't get out of hand, and I don't 
think he ever has. Dumbledore is a naturally tolerent person. He also 
tolerates Binns and Trelawnley, even though they probably don't live 
up to his values either (and to top it off, they're bad teachers! at 
least Snape is getting the point across). Dumbledore has his own 
beliefs and values, but isn't arrogant enough to think that his way 
is the best and only way to get the point across. 

Dzeytoun:
>>Besides this brings up another HUGE problem (not with your argument,
necessarily, but with the logic of canon). Hogwarts has a large
number of muggleborns and half-bloods who are members of a society
with VERY different rules. Why aren't they screaming to high-heaven
about Snape?<<

HunterGreen:
It could be that Snape is not that nasty to them like he is to Harry. 
I think we've all (in our muggle lives) have had nasty teachers. 
Teachers aren't always nice, and they aren't always patient or 
agreeable or 100% fair. And they do pick favorites. I've been on both 
ends of that. There isn't an uproar unless the teacher crosses the 
line in some way. IMO, when it doesn't come to Harry, Snape is 
just 'regular' nasty, as opposed to Super!nasty.

Don't get me wrong, if Snape treated *every* student like he does 
Harry I would agree that teaching and him should probably part ways. 
Snape, by nature of being the only potions teacher at the school, is 
*forced* to teach Harry. He's human, he's faillable, in this case he 
cannot keep his emotions (and feelings about the student's father who 
was his *worst* enemy as a teenager and the student happening to look 
*just* like said enemy) to himself. I think if he had a choice he 
would tell Dumbledore to put Harry in a different class, and if 
Dumbledore had a choice he would. Like in the case of the Occulmency 
lessons, he is the one person who can teach Harry. Its a bad 
situation. One that probably wouldn't be able to go on in a regular 
school (or maybe it would, since Harry isn't a complainer, and a 
regular headmaster or principal wouldn't be omnipitent like 
Dumbledore is).